The introduction of solid foods to your baby’s diet can be a very exciting process. It can also take some trial and error to learn what your baby prefers, or doesn’t. Many different baby food brands exist on the market today, but none are very economical. You can easily make your own baby food at home, providing you have a few simple tools. Making your own baby food allows you to use fresh fruits, vegetables, meats, and grains that the rest of your family may already be eating. It lets you know exactly what is going into your baby’s mouth, and the money you can save is a huge benefit.

Most babies will start showing signs of being ready for something other than breast milk or formula around 3 to 4 months of age. Holding up his or her head unassisted is an important sign, since babies should always be upright when eating solids. Also, your baby may start letting you know when they are full, often turning away from a bottle. Doubling of birth weight can be another helpful sign.

Tools

If you are going to give homemade baby food a try, you will need something that will puree and soften the food. Many folks like using a hand-turned food mill, which is great because it has different blades for different textures of food. A non-electric grinder is another choice, but offers no variation of textures. A hand blender, regular blender, or food processor can also be used. These work great but sometimes aren’t as convenient for smaller jobs. A plain fork also works perfectly for softer foods like bananas or sweet potatoes. You will also want some type of storage containers for refrigerating or freezing leftover baby food. Ice cube trays are a simple, useful tool for this purpose. Choosing the freshest produce and meats is very important, just as it would be for you. Frozen vegetables are fine if fresh aren’t readily available.

Cereals

Most experts will agree that waiting until your baby is between 4 and 6 months old to start solids is the best choice. At that point, you may want to introduce some type of single-grain cereal. You can easily make some whole-grain brown rice cereal at home. Simply grind 1/2 cup brown rice in a food processor or blender until a fine powder is formed. Meanwhile, bring 1 cup of water to a boil in a small saucepan. Add the rice powder to the water, stirring constantly. Simmer the mixture for about 10 minutes, continuing to stir or whisk almost constantly. At this point you can add formula or breast milk, thinning to your preference. Serve warm, but be sure it is not hot. You can also use ground oatmeal or barley the exact same way. Whole-wheat cereal can be more likely to cause an allergy; therefore it is better to wait until your baby has successfully tried the other grains before introducing wheat.

Fruits and Vegetables

Starting to feed your child fruits and vegetables can be a bit more fun than cereal. Some good fruits and vegetables to start with are bananas, apples, apricots, blueberries, peaches, plums, prunes, avocados, carrots, peas, sweet potatoes, and squash. Bananas and avocados are examples of foods that can be served raw, without cooking. You can also just simply mash these two with a fork. Most other fruits and vegetables should be cooked before pureeing. This softens them and makes them much easier to puree. Remove any skin, pits, or seeds and steam, bake, or boil the produce until soft. You are then ready to puree your baby food using the tool of your choice. Start with very small amounts to minimize waste. You can store any leftover baby food in the fridge. Cover tightly and use within a couple days.

Meats

Meats can typically be introduced between 6 to 8 months of age, providing you have had success with cereals, fruits, and vegetables. Chicken and turkey make very good first choices for meat. Always cook thoroughly before pureeing. Baking the meat is a good choice because most nutrients are retained. You may also boil or poach the meat, but some nutrients may escape into the water. This is truly just a matter of which method is preferable to you. Remove any skin or bones from the meat before placing in your food mill or blender. Chunks that are no larger than 2 inches are easiest to puree. Puree or grind the meat until it resembles a clumpy powder. You can also add water, breast milk, or formula to make it smoother, which is particularly helpful when being first introduced. Meat purees can be frozen, but thawing can sometimes give the meat a gritty texture. You can add some vegetable puree or cereal to help with this issue.

Don’t be afraid to add seasonings or spices to your homemade baby food. Just as seasonings add flavor to our food, they can really make your baby’s food more appetizing as well. Just don’t over-do it and like everything else, it might take some trial and error.

Once you see how easy and fun making your own baby food can be, it may very well become part of your household routine. Also, after your baby has mastered many foods and has favorites, it will be much easier to make batches ahead of time and freeze them. All and all, the time you save along with the amount of money you save will make preparing your own baby food very worth your while.

*Guest post from Bailey Harris, who writes for the homeowners insurance guide. 

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